BWL board largely silent on Lark

Bernero says BWL chief, board deserve 'an opportunity to fix this'

Jan. 3, 2014

Lansing BWL General Manager J. Peter Lark addresses his trip to New York City during the power outage. Greg DeRuiter/LSJ The Lansing Board of Water and Light General Manager J. Peter Lark makes a statement Thursday afternoon regarding a trip he took to New York City during the power outage in the Lansing area that was caused by an ice storm. Photo taken 1/2/2014 by Greg DeRuiter/LSJ / Greg DeRuiter

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Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero takes notes during a special meeting of the Lansing City Council Monday evening, December 30, 2013, where Lansing residents addressed their concerns about the city and Lansing Board of Water and Light's response to last weekend's ice storm and electrical outages. / Photo by MATTHEW DAE SMITH | for the Lansing State

What’s next

The Lansing Board of Water and Light’s board of commissioners will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to review the utility’s response to last week’s power outage. The meeting will be held at the REO Town Depot, 1201 S. Washington Avenue, Lansing. The board will ask General Manager J. Peter Lark to establish two independent review teams to evaluate the outage response and communications with customers. The board will also ask Lark to prepare an interim crisis communications plan for use in case of another outage emergency before a final plan can be created.

Lansing BWL General Manager J. Peter Lark addresses the Lansing City Council Monday, December 30, 2013, at a special meeting regarding the BWL's response to last week's ice storm. [Photo Dec. 30, 2013 by MATTHEW DAE SMITH | for the Lansing State Journal] / MATTHEW DAE SMITH | for the Lans

Members of the public oversight board in charge of the Lansing Board of Water & Light were largely unavailable for comment Friday amid calls from some community leaders and elected officials that General Manager J. Peter Lark should resign.

The outcry stemmed from revelations Thursday that Lark left Lansing on Dec. 23 during the massive power outage to celebrate Christmas in New York City with his wife and grown son. He returned Dec. 25.

BWL officials said a total of 40,000 customers lost power following the Dec. 21-22 ice storm. Lark called it the worst outage in BWL’s history before leaving for New York.

“The fact that he went to New York is mind-boggling,” said Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher, who has called for Lark’s resignation. “His staff had to cancel their Christmas plans to work around the clock, and residents had their Christmas plans ruined because they had no power, but he took time to go to New York. It shows a lack of judgment.”

Lark answers to an eight-member board appointed by Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and approved by the Lansing City Council. The board oversees BWL governance and policy and is also in charge of Lark’s contract. Lark said Thursday he would not resign.

Only three board members have responded to requests for comment since Thursday morning about the public outcry for his resignation. Two board members, Tracy Thomas and Anthony Mullen, could not be reached by phone. Board members David Price and Cynthia Ward did not return calls seeking comment.

In a Friday night email, Mullen said: “We have decided to allow Chair (Sandra) Zerkle to respond for the commission as a whole.”

Board member Anthony McCloud said he learned of Lark’s trip only when Lark issued a statement on Thursday apologizing for it.

“It was ill-advised under the circumstances,” McCloud said. “But I am pleased with the way Peter has handled it and owned up to it.”

Board Vice Chairman Dennis Louney said that while he continues to support Lark as general manager, the trip will “obviously” be noted in his next evaluation.

“Looking at his entire body of work and the awards we’ve won as a utility and the reliability we’ve brought to our customers, I think that his track record is strong,” Louney said. “He made a mistake. I don’t think that he handled a lot of things right. We need to fix that.”

Zerkle did not return calls Friday but said Thursday that she knew about Lark’s trip while he was in New York. She said the trip was a bad decision in hindsight but believes Lark deserves to keep his job.

One board member, Marge Bossenbery, refused comment when reached by phone Friday. Bossenbery cited a board policy she said allows only the board chair to speak. She was among several people to comment on and “like” a photo on the Facebook page of Susan Lark, Peter Lark’s wife.

The photos were revealed in a report by the State Journal Thursday as evidence that Lark was not in town during the early days of the outage. That report prompted Lark to hold a press conference to apologize.

Photos show Lark’s family taking in the sights at Rockefeller Center and attending Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve.

Susan Lark’s Facebook page since has been deactivated, and the photos no longer are online.

Bernero: 'I had no reason to believe he wasn't in the city.'

Pressed by reporters about whether Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero knew he had traveled to New York City during a power outage that darkened huge swaths of the city, Lansing Board of Water and Light General Manager J. Peter Lark said he couldn’t recall.